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NEWS : STORIES
In the early '90s, Seattle indie label Sub Pop printed t-shirts with the logo "Corporate rock sucks." Yet over the next few years, the many alternative bands that became the subjects of bidding war feeding frenzies seemingly had no problems being
But after the defeat of the alternative revolution, such groups as Girls Against Boys began to discover the downside of corporate rock. The band's 1998 album, Freak*on*ica, was a throbbing electronic-flavored rockfest that was both heavy and commercial, but it suffered from excruciatingly bad timing. "When Universal merged, Geffen was swallowed up and disappeared about four months before our record came out," vocalist and guitarist Scott McCloud explained. "We were temporarily homeless, then we were on Interscope briefly before they restarted Geffen with people we didn't know. So we were in a weird void for a while." Nearly four years, to be more exact. GVSB recorded demos and repeatedly tried to talk to the label about their next record, but their calls were not returned and their demos landed on deaf ears. "I don't know why they just didn't drop us," McCloud said. "It got to the point where things were not too friendly between us. Finally, we sent them a letter telling them they were in breach of contract because we had a [guarantee from the label] for three records. So they paid us to leave." At press time, the band's former publicist hadn't returned calls for comment. After finding themselves free agents, Girls Against Boys avoided major corporations and signed with independent emo-friendly label Jade Tree. The group's sixth LP, You Can't Fight What You Can't See, due May 14, exhibits the energy and aggression the bandmembers have been holding in for too long. Dark and moody, the record melds some of the hooky electronic textures from Freak*on*ica with the jagged rage of 1996's House of GVSB. "We wanted to do a more stripped-down rock record this time," McCloud said. "We kind of wanted to pare things back down and kick something out that was more raw. We did this record in the winter in a new rehearsal space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and it was freezing in there," McCloud said. "We had to walk around with hats and jackets and we were in this big empty room, so it kind of felt like we were drug dealers sorting out some weird, shady-ass deal." Throughout the record, McCloud spouts off about conservatism, conformity and commercialism, and more than a few of his rants seem colored by his experience as a Universal product. "Basstation" is a cry of defiance and independence, "300 Looks for the Summer" lambastes the plasticity of Hollywood and "All the Rage" addresses the notion of the flavor of the week. "It's about a feeling of expectation you get from commercialization," he said. "And that expectation is never really satisfied because a lot of things aren't what they're made up to be." The protracted label ordeals Girls Against Boys endured would have silenced many other bands, but McCloud and his bandmates survived by focusing on side projects during the downtime. The entire band wrote music for the film "System 7." McCloud worked with New Wet Kojak and most recently contributed vocals for an upcoming song with dance-pop artist BT. Bassist Johnny Temple ran his alternative book publishing company, Akashic. Keyboardist Eli Janney produced records for Seafood, Ruby and others. And drummer Alexis Fleisig played on the "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" soundtrack. "I think that stuff really kept us going," McCloud said. "Honestly, we're probably not the exact same band we were seven years ago, and I think that's kind of healthy. We have been doing this for a while, and as you keep moving through life, you want to keep experiencing different things and take them seriously as well. I don't think it would be good for the four of us to be only playing together and living in a group house when we're 40." This report is provided by MTV News
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